


Closer to a Steel Heart

by Nico_Jero



Series: Weak Knees, Strong Heart [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-08-14 18:53:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8025148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nico_Jero/pseuds/Nico_Jero
Summary: Short stories following my Sole Survivor, Quest from my previous work Weak Knees, Strong Heart. Contains ideas I couldn't fit into my other story such as expanded ideas for before the war, more information on Quest's relationship with Paladin Danse, and what happens after the Institute is defeated.Contains spoilers for Weak Knees, Strong Heart so I recommend reading that story first.





	1. The Start of Something New

**Author's Note:**

> Not Beta'd
> 
> Marianne = Quest

“Father overreacted! It wasn’t like I was a junkie or something. I just popped a couple Day Trippers every once in a while to relax with my friends.”

“I know, I know,” Nate sighs as he focuses on changing lanes on the highway “While I am not happy with you using drugs, I can tell you aren’t allowing that stuff to control your life but we are going to do what makes Father happy.”

“Like joining the military,” Marianne mutters as she glares out the window.

Nate is stunned for a second and grips the steering wheel before answering…”Yes, like joining the military but there are other options for you. Father already got one kid to pass on that legacy. You can go out and make something for yourself.”

“It seems like he’s hell bent on me joining…that’s why he reacted so harshly when he found out I was on drugs. He’s afraid I would ruin the family image!”

“Father can be stubborn but he’s not above listening to his child’s desires,” Nate says softly.

“Yeah…too bad I don’t know what I want,” the young woman says barely above a whisper as they pull into Sanctuary Hills, her new home for a while.


	2. October 2077

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not Beta'd

A cry from a baby echoes through the house at 2:30am and Marianne lays awake listening to her brother, Nate get up and move towards Shaun’s room. In the hallway he is stopped by Codsworth and she can she hear Nate quietly tell the Mr. Handy robot that he will take care of his son this time. The robot sighs and floats off to the storage room to power down until morning, where he will be need to start breakfast for the busy day to come. 

After several minutes without the baby settling down, Nate comes out and heads to the refrigerator to grab some formula. Marianne stares at his tired silhouette framed in the soft light. He turns around and he notices she wasn’t sleeping.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

“No, I was up already,” Marianne says, “I was having troubles falling asleep.”

“Are you nervous about going to the C.I.T for your interview,” Nate asks as he adds the milk and stirs the formula.

“A little,” she sits up so she can talk to her half-brother better “Are you nervous for the veterans event in Concord?”

“It shouldn’t be too bad,” Nate shrugs “The hardest part will be all the questions I’ll get about Nora…” Like a true soldier Nate didn’t show any emotions about his young wife’s recent death but Marianne could see the pain he tried to bury in his eyes.

“Don’t go then,” she simply says but her brother seemed to jump a little at her words.

“I have to,” Nate says slowly “Some of Father’s friends will be expecting me there and it’s not like I don’t want to go…it’s a great honor.”

Marianne stays quiet, waiting to see if her brother would add more but Nate drops the conversation there and focuses on making the formula for his infant son. As he moves through the house silently against the cries of a baby, the young woman lays awake for a couple hours more until sleep claims her around 4am.

At 8am, her alarm clock wakes her up and she pulls herself off the couch and into the bathroom. She doesn’t even stop to talk to Codsworth who was busy starting the coffee before making breakfast. She’ll probably have a quick bowl of Sugar Bombs anyway because she needs to make it to the Commonwealth Institute of Technology for 11am. She is meeting up with some members of administration to go over her application and see if the Institute will be a good fit for her. Because of the current state of the world they want to meet promising candidates in person. As Marianne buttons up her blouse she notices her hands are shaking. This is stupid, she shouldn’t be so nervous for a simple interview. She doesn’t even know if she wants so go to the Institute of Technology for school. She already rejected a couple of other schools and she hates the motorcycle ride to College Square. As she finally latches the last button, Marianne leaves the bathroom and runs into Nate.

“Took you long enough, kiddo,” Nate teased.

“Can you not call me that,” Marianne huffs “I am going to be 18 in less then a month.”

“Jeeze, sorry” her older brother jokes “I wasn’t expecting a crabby old woman in the bathroom so early in the morning.”

Before Marianne could retort back to him, Shaun starts crying from his room. She sighs and turns towards her little nephew leaving Nate alone to get ready for his Veteran’s Ceremony.

“Hey, what’s up you little monster,” Marianne playfully jokes before picking up Shaun and comforts him. 

Some people might find it silly considering Marianna Elizabeth Quest has often been praised as a genius in the Military Academy for her skill on and off the field but she finds more comfort and enjoyment in her life when she is holding a baby then when she shoots a gun or reprograms a terminal. She continues to try to comfort Shaun but he was being extremely fussy. After trying her usual tricks to get him to calm down, she brings him out to the kitchen to fetch him a bottle. As she walks out, the TV is on and the smell of breakfast is in the air.

“Ahh Miss Marianne, are you going to be around in an hour by any chance,” Codsworth asks, “The Vault Tech Representative is running late to update you on the family’s list to Vault 111.”

“No Codsworth,” she says as she closes the refrigerator with her hip as she balances Shaun in her arms “I have to leave soon so I can make it into the city in time for my interview.”

“Oh bugger,” the robot sighs as he flips a pancake.

“Its no problem,” Nate replies as he steps out of the bathroom adjusting his tie “I’ll be around to make the necessary changes.” The tone of his voice becomes grave at the end because the changes isn’t as simple as adding Marianne to the family list but also taking off Nora as well.

Nate sits down as Codsworth serves him his breakfast. Shaun quiets down after his bottle and Marianne settles down on the couch as she continues to cuddle her nephew. Something on the TV catches Marianne’s attention as she looks over to see a news reporter declaring nuclear bombs were detonated in New York City and Pennsylvania just as the city sirens begin to blare outside. 

“Get to the vault,” Nate yells out as Marianne frantically gets up and rushes to the door.

The citizens of Sanctuary Hills were pouring out of their houses. Some tried to drag along heavy suitcases but Marianne sprints past them in the early morning light. Up near the vault there was a roadblock of people trying to force their way into safety but the armed guards were being meticulous about letting the right people in. Marianne tries to wait patiently for her turn but people were shoving her and Shaun begins to wail loudly. Forgetting her manners she shoves past a man and approaches a guard. 

“Name,” he says coldly.

“I am Marianne Quest,” she says as the soldier quickly scans his list.

“You are not on this list, please step aside.”

Marianne stands there in shock, cursing the Vault Tech Representative for not showing up at her house but before she can argue with the guard, Nate appears at her side and wraps his arms around her shoulder.

“This is my wife Nora, son Shaun, and I am Nathan Quest” Nate growls out to the guard “Let us through we are on this list.”

“She stated her name was Marianne,” the guard begins to say before Nate punches him in the guts and pushes his sister inside. He grips her arm tightly and they run towards the vault entrance as guards begin to turn on them. One of them grabs Marianne but Nate turns around and punches him in the face as a large shockwave is felt beneath their feet. A large cloud of dust and debris comes flying towards them as the brother and sister jump, barely making it on the platform as it was lowering down.

Some of their neighbors look startled by their sudden arrival, Marianne numbly stands still shocked by the recent events. Nate quickly turns to her and directs her away from eavesdroppers even though they were too busy with their own worries.

“Promise me that you will keep pretending to be Nora! Promise ME!” her brother desperately whispers “That’s the only way to keep you safe. They might kick you out or worse…”

Marianne weakly nods, staring at Nate’s petrified face as Shaun continues to wail loudly in her arms.

“Here, let me have him,” Nate says as he gently takes Shaun away from her as they quickly reach the bottom and the elevator slides to a stop, opening the doors to Vault 111 their new home.


	3. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exiting Vault 111

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was actually the very first one I wrote when I began Weak Knees, Strong Heart. I felt if I started here for the story it would take forever to get to the parts that I actually wanted to write so I ended up skipping ahead. :)

Marianne Quest declined Codsworth’s request to join her on the mission to find Shaun. The robot was always closer to Nate than to her and having him around would be a reminder of what happened in the vault. Codsworth seemed disappointed but his programming did not allow him to voice any more complaints after she gave him the order to stay home.

Walking up the road to Concord, Quest saw the Red Rocket station where the family stopped all the time for gas and refreshments. She was quite surprised it did not explode when the bombs fell. The shock wave of the explosion was so intense when they were heading down that she was sure nothing on the surface would survive. But to her surprise, there were many pieces of the past laying around gathering rust. It kind of disgusted her that their waste from 200 hundred years ago was still here and still making a mess wherever you went.

To Quest’s delight, the gas station was not the only thing left relatively untouched by time. A young mutt was scourging around the place. He looked like he stepped out of a vault just like her. Unaged and having no deformities from he radiation in the environment the dog was extremely friendly like the dogs in the past and soon he started following Quest around. It was nice having company so she did not shoo him away.

Coming into Concord, the mutt’s ears perked up and he became defensive. Quest continued on cautiously and soon hears a gunfight happening in the center of the city. Slowly she made her way to the commotion. It would not hurt to take a peek, plus what if somebody needed help?


	4. Cambridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not Beta'd
> 
> After helping Preston Garvey and the settlers out at Concord and receiving information on her nephew Shaun, from Mama Murphy Quest has been sidetracked from traveling to Diamond City. First, it was helping the Tenpines Bluff settlement with their raider troubles and now it's a distress signal from a local police station.
> 
> A little twist on the events for the quest: Fire Support.

Quest and Dogmeat cautiously walk into the College Square. Being here is emotional and stressful for the Sole Survivor of Vault 111. It seems like it was just yesterday she was visiting these streets trying to decide what is right for her future and balancing her family’s needs. Stray papers blow along the cracked asphalt and Quest can still feel the terror in the air from when the bombs fell 200 years ago but the square was so quiet unlike in 2077. 

Everything collides in a confusing mess. Everything seems so old and new at the same time…

Dogmeat must of sensed her unease because he nuzzles her hand and whimpers.

“Sorry boy, I didn’t mean to worry you,” Quest says and reaches down to scratch his ears “We will leave once we find that distress signal.”

They continue forward and soon hear gunfire coming from a police station. Quickly rounding the corner, Dogmeat lunges forward, jaws clamping down on a grotesque creature. It looks revolting, a mess of a flesh and open sores.

“Fuck, what is that thing!”

Just as Quest utters those words more of those creatures dive at her. She quickly side steps them and blasts them with her shotgun. A loud yip comes from her right and she sees two more of those monsters ganging up on Dogmeat. A shearing rage fills Quest and she swears at them before smashing her boot into their skulls Her kick breaks one of their necks before she unloads her gun into the second.

Eight more of those monsters show up and she takes two down before they surround her. Dogmeat wrestles one to the ground while Quest recklessly head butts another hard, as she fumbles with the little ammo she has left. One of the creatures shoves past the others and aims to sink its teeth into her neck when a red beam of light cuts through it and the creatures crumbles to the ground, blood pouring from the wounds.

“What in the world are you doing, civilian? Don’t engage these abominations in close combat,” yells a man in full armor “Fall back!”

He continues firing at the monsters and takes down the rest that were surrounding her and Dogmeat. She whistles for the dog to follow her and she runs towards the man, diving behind a barricade. Taking a moment to regain her composure, she loads her weapon and sees a young woman treating an injured soldier near the doorway. Quest was dangerously low on ammo and the only other person fighting was the armored soldier. She yells at the woman to pass the weapon on her hip over. At first the field aid was hesitant but another horde rounds the corner and she slides the weapon over to Quest as she continues working on the injured man. Taking a second to get accustom to the new weapon, Quest begins providing cover for the sole fighter. After several minutes, the horde was dead and the soldiers turned towards her.

“We appreciate the assistance but state your business here civilian,” the armored man demanded.

“I was just following the distress call,” Quest shakily replies. She was feeling uneasy now that the adrenaline was wearing off and she could get a better look at those creatures. They looked eerily like humans and the longer she stares at them the more her stomach clenches tighter into knots. Before she could dwell on it any longer, the strong voice of the commander brought her back to the present.

“I am Paladin Danse from the Brotherhood of Steel and I thank you for the support but can you kindly give back Scribe Haylen her weapon.”

Looking down and blushing a little, Quest hands the weapon back to the medic, who just finished cleaning up her hands, the injured soldiers breathing a little more steadily. The commander makes a small grunt of approval and lowers his gun once he sees Haylen’s weapon was safely returned to her.

“Are you from a local vault,” the Paladin quickly questions.

“Yes, its northwest from here” Quest answers hesitantly “I have been out in the Commonwealth for a couple days now.”

“You must have some weapons training inside your vault,” the dark man noted “But from the looks of it, it wasn’t very thorough since you put yourself into a precarious situation with those ferals back there. It was a good thing we were here or you would have ended up dead.”

“I could have handled that situation,” Quest says tightly clenching her teeth, trying to hide the anger flaring up “For your information I went to West Point.”

“That is impossible,” Danse shakes his head and scoffs “West Point was destroyed 210 years ago.”

“Well to me, 210 years ago seems like yesterday,” Quest mutters as the spark of anger dissipates as the weight of her reality presses down on her again. 

“What do you mean by that?” Danse inquires, still looking skeptical “You obliviously don't look like a ghoul so it's impossible for you to be that old.” 

“I don't know what a ghoul is but I know I am not a liar!” Quest says defensively, glaring at the commander. “Vault-tec put me into cryogenic stasis and while I was frozen some people came in and killed my husband and took Shaun...my boy.” Quest looks down at the lie and whispers “I have to go find him.”

“I am sorry for your loss,” Paladin Danse says sincerely, looking a little shocked but giving her a small empathic smile “Currently we are having a rough time too. I have lost several men to this godforsaken wasteland and I would have lost some more if you didn't show up!” Danse takes a deep breath and takes a moment to calm himself down before continuing. “If you can take some time to help us, I am sure the Brotherhood of Steel can help you locate your missing boy.”

“What is the Brotherhood of Steel anyway,” Quest asks, trying to avoid any more questions about her family. “Is it part of the US Military?”

“No, after the Great War the government fell apart but the Brotherhood of Steel was formed by US soldiers to protect the rest of humanity and stop the further misuse of technology.”

“I should have know the military wasn't around,” Quest sighs. “When I saw your armor I was hoping I was saved from wandering this wasteland alone. Well somewhat alone, I still have Dogmeat,” Quest sadly chuckles and pets the loyal animal at her feet.

“If you show enough potential, you could join the Brotherhood of Steel and never be alone again,” Danse proudly proclaims “You will have support from your brothers and sisters to protect you and fight with you. What do you say…” the paladin stops, furrowing his eyebrows and trying to avoid looking confused.

“If you are looking for a last name, you can call me Quest,” she offers politely.

“Quest from West Point,” Paladin Danse says, staring deep into her eyes. Quest feels anxious but doesn’t looking away from his judgment as he adds “Do you want to prove to me that your story isn’t a lie by helping us locate a deep range transmitter. After the mission is over and you prove your usefulness I promise that the Brotherhood of Steel and I will do anything we can to help you.” 

“Yes, sir,” Quest exclaims loudly, straightening her back for passing his test and feeling a little prouder then she has for awhile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter and you don't mind the skipping around of parts and characters. I just want to focus on Paladin Danse and Quest.
> 
> Also, I don't mind feedback of any kind. I just want to improve my writing. :D


End file.
